Revival
by LizzyLucky
Summary: First off, Zane x OC. Don't like it, don't read it. Alright, it's nearly Christmas time, and Destiny's Bounty is all for the holidays! However, Zane's falcon has gone missing, and shortly after his father's death, too. The others are so busy that they start ignoring him and he's begun to doubt himself. Then when a girl comes literally crashing through his window... What'll happen?
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everybody! I don't know if anyone here's seen any of my other stuff, but I would assume not, as this is my first Ninjago story and I'm not all that well known. Whether you do or you don't, let me just clear up now that on most my stories, I said I was changing to do one story at a time. Honestly, that's not really working anymore either. I have a lot of stories and I bounce back and forth with them as different levels of interest come and go for each. Yes, I know, I already have tons of stories, both inside and outside fanfiction, and adding another isn't the best idea… But I figure it's best to write while I'm interested and actually want to. That's kinda the whole reason I do kinda whatever when it comes to stories. So, in advance, I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry! I'm a jerk, a cruel writer (Sorry to the characters, too!), and I will maybe sort of try to graciously be okay with all the inevitable throwing of tomatoes later on. I may or may not bounce from one story to the next, update regularly or irregularly, or the like… Anyway, moving on! Couple things on the actual story, this takes place between seasons two and three, it centers around Zane and my OC (Who I totally imagine myself being because Zane is just too awesome for me not to), and there may be a few spoilers if you've not seen as far as the end of season two. Okay, next! I thought it might be a fair warning that I only have a very few things planned. Just things that I want to make sure happen and some of the main ideas are thrown in. But other than that, I literally make it all up as I go. Each chapter is as new to me as it is to you. A few are sort of planned out, the rest… Not so much. I start writing when I want to and am interested, and as soon as I'm done, I make grammar edits and post it on fanfiction - literally minutes after I'm done writing it! I think that this way, I have the main ideas down, and then the rest is kinda fun and more… I dunno, it's just better because I didn't overthink it or anything. Know what I mean? Whether you do or don't, this is what's happening, so be aware! I'm sure you've all gotten enough of my ranting and would love to get on to the story if you haven't already just skipped my note to do so. So… Here it is! Chapter starts now! Enjoy!

-LizzyLucky

(Oh! Wait! One last thing! If you read all of that, and I mean _all_ , you. are. awesome. If you. are. awesome., say so in your review, if you even bother to review at all!)

* * *

 _It was peaceful. Quiet, serene, calm, whatever you prefer to call it. There was a light breeze and the sea air wasn't as salty as usual. It was nice. Zane was standing on the deck of the Bounty on a particularly beautiful morning. Everything seemed right. Except one thing… Why were they out on the ocean? Last he checked, the Bounty sat just outside Ninjago city, everything covered in a blanket of snow. They hadn't done any travelling, flying, sailing, or anything at all, really, since the defeat of the Overlord. He'd not been told anything of this. He looked down. There was something strange about the water. It didn't look right. It was just ocean water, a few fish spotted below the surface. But it was not right. It was almost… gray. For how sunny it was, the water should have been either reflective, or clear and tinted a shade of indigo. But it was gray. Was the water polluted? It was a possibility, as often things that pollute the water have a stench strong enough to overpower that of the salt water, which he noticed was not so strong. But there was no other stench either. And the ocean water had no other fluctuations indicating that a pollution source was present. He looked up and realized that everything had turned gray. Perhaps his sensors had been damaged? No, that wasn't quite right either._

 _*Clatter!*_

 _Zane whipped around at the sound, and saw nothing. He looked around, putting on a more serious face. If something was here, he couldn't show the least bit of fear. But there was nothing. He looked down and saw that the Bounty was no longer there. He stood in mid-air, supported by seemingly nothing. This was not right. He looked up again and everything was black. Another clatter, and its strong, seemingly endless echo surrounded him._

" _Hello?" He called out nervously. His voice did not echo._

" _Who are you…" A whisper echoed in his ears, so loud it hurt, but so soft it seemed nonexistent._

 _Zane said nothing._

" _You can't help me…"_

' _What?' He thought._

" _I'm scared..."_

" _Hello?" He called out again._

" _Don't let me go…"_

 _Zane looked around frantically. The sound came from everywhere, but there was no source. The only thing he could find was himself and the blackness surrounding him. It was an endless, empty blackness, but he could see himself just fine._

" _Help…"_

 _Zane turned towards the whisper and saw a faded scene, like you'd see in an old movie. There were two figures, but he couldn't identify them. One held on to the other as he or she hung over the edge of something. It looked like the opening to a volcano, or maybe a cliff hanging over the ocean. It seemed so faded and distant, it was impossible to tell._

" _I…"_

" _Where are you?" He called out somewhat urgently._

" _don't…."_

" _Who are you?!" He shouted out._

" _want…"_

 _Zane cried out suddenly as something cold touched his shoulder. There was nothing there._

" _to…"_

 _Everything flashed to a blinding bright white for a moment, then immediately back to black, like a lightning flash. It was not inviting._

 _Suddenly, the entire place, whatever it was, began to rumble and more "lightning" struck repeatedly, but in red._

" _DIE!"_

Zane cried out and sat up so quickly his head hit something. The bed. It was the bed. He was in bed. It was just a dream. Zane let out a long and heavy sigh, flopping back down onto his pillow and rubbing the sore spot.

"Just a dream…" He mumbled. But what did it mean?

"Hey, Zane, you okay?" Kai poked his head from the bathroom with a toothbrush still in his mouth.

Zane smiled kindly.

"Fine." He said.

"You sure? You looked pretty freaked out for a second there."

"I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"I thought you said Nindroids didn't dream." Kai chuckled.

"I must have been mistaken." Zane said, sitting up and sliding out of bed with a thoughtful look.

"Whatever." Kai shook his head and walked back into the bathroom.

"Did I miss breakfast?" Zane asked, checking the clock, which read 9:17. It was unlike him to sleep in like this.

"HA! Hardly." Kai snorted.

Zane gave him a questioning look.

"Cole cooked. There's still some of his, uh, pancakes left. Surprisingly enough, they're only a little burnt this time. And they're not even green!"

Zane chuckled and walked to the door.

"Oh! Zane! Little warning, they're kinda… Chewy." Kai called as he left.

Zane ignored him as he walked out onto the deck and towards the kitchen. He often preffered to go outside and to the kitchen, instead of underneath in the hallway. It was, after all, winter, and he liked the snow. The Bounty was on solid ground, just outside Ninjago city, and there was snow on everything. He looked around for a moment just before he ascended the stairs. There was nothing out of place except his footprints. He felt like he was looking for something. He felt like something or someone was watching him. He wasn't sure which.

He looked up to the sky, which was clear and blue. He searched the skies for his falcon. He looked down in disappointment when the feathered robot was nowhere to be found.

*Clatter!*

"AH!" He jumped around and saw Cole on the ground with a bunch of plates surrounding him. He chuckled. Just Cole. He walked in to the kitchen, ready to test Cole's "chewy" pancakes.

"Do you need a hand, brother?" Zane offered.

Cole looked up and took Zane's hand, pulling himself up.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Kai says your pancakes weren't half bad this time around." Zane remarked.

"Yeah! I actually took your advice from last time!" Cole exclaimed triumphantly.

"I can see. They look much better."

"Hey, has anyone seen Jay?" Kai asked suddenly, walking in and picking up one of the plates on the ground.

"I think he said he was going to the hardware store in Ninjago city." Nya said, also bending over to pick up a plate.

"Ah. That's right. I forgot."

"Forgot what?" Zane asked curiously.

"He's working on some kind of a device for his parents when they come up later today." Kai explained.

"Ah." Zane nodded.

"He also told us to call him if we see his, uh, jiggly compressor thingy…"

"I don't want to search forever trying to find one of those things again. What a pain that was!" Cole said.

"I know… At least this time, we don't technically have to _look_ , just keep an eye out… Even better, it's not in a junkyard full of stuff that looks identical." Kai said.

"Ha ha! I remember!" Nya giggled.

Zane stood up with a stack of plates and carried them to the sink, the others following suit.

"Maybe that's what he's going to get. He seems to be in such a rush to find one." Cole said.

"I'll bet it is. He even got up early! He was the first to wake!" Kai exclaimed.

"You know, that is kinda weird. Zane's usually the first to wake up. He was last to wake this morning. Even Lloyd got up earlier than Zane!" Nya pointed out.

"Why is that? Did you stay up really late _again_ , Zane?" Cole asked, rolling his eyes at the idea.

Zane opened his mouth to say he hadn't, but Kai cut in.

"Zane had a _nightmare_. And he always said Nindroids don't dream." He recalled from earlier in the morning.

"It was just a dream. Nothing to worry about." Zane said.

"Is it though? That whole thing with having a sixth sense…" Cole said.

"And remember last time you had a dream? About the green ninja? That was kind of an important dream, if you ask me." Nya said.

Zane didn't respond.

"What was it about?" Cole asked. The three looked at Zane expectantly.

"Uh, nothing, really. I'm sure it's just jitters, or whatever you guys keep calling it." Zane said. He walked out of the room before anyone could answer. He ran back to their room and readied for the day.

"Jitters?" Cole repeated. The three shared a look.

Ten minutes later, Kai spotted Zane leaning on the deck's side and staring out into the sky.

"Zane? Is something wrong?" He asked calmly.

"No." Zane answered, sounding distant.

"Zane, come one! What's up?"

"Zane looked at Kai, then back out to the sky, his eyes searching for something.

"So he still hasn't come back, then?" Kai walked up next to Zane.

"No." He answered sadly.

"I'm sure your falcon'll be back from his mission soon, don't you worry." Kai said.

They'd sent Zane's falcon out to look around the city and old hideouts for their previous enemies, mainly the serpentine and the Overlord. They were fairly certain that the Serpentine were no longer a threat, and they'd just taken the Overlord out, so everything should have been fine. Sending the falcon out was just a safeguard. The problem was that they sent the falcon out over two weeks ago. It was the middle of December and Christmas was fast approaching. But Zane's father had already… passed. Kai could only imagine how lonely Zane might have felt at the moment. Whatever it was that he'd had a nightmare about that morning probably put him on edge. Must have been what he meant by "jitters" earlier.

"Zane? Do you really think that dream had no meaning?" Kai asked after a moment of silence.

"No." Zane replied.

Kai was a little surprised. "Then what do you think?"

"I don't know. It seems to have nothing to do with any of the previous events or any of our enemies."

"Do you think we could hear about it? Maybe we can help you figure it out."

Zane sat up hesitantly.

"Maybe later."

"Oh. Okay." Kai said, a little disappointed. The two walked into their room to find Jay standing over by the table and tinkering with something.

"Hey, is this the thing you said you needed?" Kai asked, holding up something that looked like a combination of several different tools.

"No. But thanks." Jay said distractedly.

"So, what are you working on?"

"It's a surprise." Jay grinned. Kai chuckled. That was just like Jay.

"Where's Sensei Wu and everyone else?" Cole asked.

"I think they decided to go do something together for their first Christmas as a family." Nya answered.

"I guess that makes sense."

There was a loud knock at the door. Everyone turned to look at the door.

"I'll get it." Kai said. He walked over to the door and looked surprised. There was a little bit of talking before Kai started laughing and turned around, hugging his stomach.

"Cole - it's - for you…" Kai said between snickers.

Cole oh-no'd as he walked to the door. A pair of strong arms reached over and grasped him in a crushing hug.

"DAD!" He choked out. Said man walked in with Cole dragging behind. Kai's snickers grew louder.

"Merry Christmas!" He bellowed.

"Merry Christmas - to you, too - Dad." Cole grunted. "I can't - breath!"

Mr. Bucket (That's about all I could find in way of last names for Cole's family…) gave a hearty laugh and set Cole down.

"Thanks…" He said, gasping for breath. Kai burst out laughing and bent over, putting his hands on his knees to keep balance.

"And all your friends!" Mr. Bucket walked in closer. Kai instantly stopped laughing. Mr. Bucket picked all three of them - Jay, Kai, and Nya - up in a bone-crushing hug. It was Cole's turn to snicker. Kai gave him a death glare when the hug was over.

"Now, where is your robot friend?" Mr. Bucket asked, looking around.

"Uh, he's not here right now!" Cole quickly replied.

"That's too bad..."

"Heh, uh, Nya and I have somewhere to go, so you guys can get caught up…" Kai said, grabbing Nya and dragging her to the door.

"But I thought we weren't leaving for a couple more- mph!" Nya tried to say. Kai slapped a hand over her mouth.

"What? No, remember? We still gotta, uh… um… we gotta… we gotta get our skates repaired before we can go skating!" Kai said, nodding to Mr. Bucket and then to Nya. She made a face that said 'Ohh!' and nodded, following him to the front door and tossing on her jacket and scarf.

"See you guys later!" She said, walking out the door behind her older brother.

"Where are they going?" Zane asked suddenly, walking in.

"They're going ice-skating." Cole answered dryly.

"But I thought they weren't leaving for a little while long- ouch!" Cole elbowed him.

Mr. Bucket looked questioningly at the two.

"There he is!" He exclaimed after a moment, rushing forward to give Zane the same hug everyone else suffered through.

"Heh! - Mr. Bucket! - Your enthusiasm - is implied!" Zane gasped.

Mr. Bucket chuckled again.

"So, uh, Dad, what did you have planned for today, then?" Cole asked.

"We gotta go find your mother first, they we're off to that competition I signed us up for!"

"D-dance competition?"

"Don't you remember?" Mr. Bucket grabbed Cole's and pulled him to the door.

"No." He groaned.

"It starts in two hours, so we better hurry!"

"Yeah… Hey! Jay! Your parents are here, too!" Cole said just as he was pulled out the door.

"Alright!" He cheered. He grabbed a tool bag and used his arm to sweep everything on the table into it.

"I'll see ya later Zane!" Jay said as he opened the door. He turned back and looked at Zane, then stopped, frowning. Zane looked a bit down.

"You'll be alright?" He asked uncertainly.

"Fine. Go enjoy your time with your family. I'm sure they'll love your invention."

"Okay." Jay responded slowly.

"Oh! Hey! I think I found your, uh, thing that you wanted earlier." Zane called just before Jay closed the door.

"Ooh! That's it! Thanks, Zane!" Jay said excitedly, grabbing the device from Zane. He slammed the door behind him, running in a childish manner towards his parents' vehicle.

"No problem." Zane sighed. He looked around. The entire place was empty. Everyone was out with their families. He looked out the window. No falcon. He sat down in a corner and stared out at the wall. He was alone.

* * *

Oh, okay, that was awful, bad, terrible… Not quite how I had expected it to turn out. But again, I just kinda come up with it as I go. Hope it was okay. Please tell me! I would love to know!

-LizzyLucky


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, guys! I know I took forever to update, but I hold a loyalty to my stories, and this one especially stuck out to me when I started. I'll be doing a lot more writing on my phone now, because I have no access to a computer except for during study hall at school, which means the chapters might come out sounding kinda different, bit I'mma give it a shot anyway. After forever, here I am! Back again, and I hope you like this update.

-LizzyLucky

* * *

Hours passed. No one returned. Zane did anything and everything to keep busy, but suddenly felt too bashful to leave the bounty.

He tidied the kitchen, scrubbed the dining room, shoveled the deck, and cleaned the rest of the Bounty three times over again.

When he ran out of things to clean, he read a book, checked his systems to be sure his scanner was working perfectly, which he used to search for his falcon profusely, and tried using his powers to make stuff out of the snow and ice, just on the ground outside the Bounty. It wasn't very successful, but he did manage to make a snowman, a snow castle, and a snow statue of his falcon.

He couldn't seem to stop thinking about his dream from that morning, and when he could, he thought about his falcon instead.

As it began to get later in the evening, and still no one returned, he finally decided to study his dream. He laid it all out on a large piece of paper. He had a picture of himself on the deck, the words "gray" and "clatter" written beside it. Another picture following an arrow off of that one was of him floating in the big empty world he was in. Next to it were the words "black" and "whispers." The next picture had several sketches of the scenes he saw, to the best of his memory. The remainder of the page held what he could remember of the whispers. "You can't help me." "Don't leave me." And last, "I don't want to die." He circled the quotes and used an arrow to point from the word "whispers" to what he just circled. Separately, he wrote the words "light flashes, like lightning, one white, multiple red."

"There was… the Bounty… And everything turned gray. The smell of the ocean was weaker…" He listed to himself. He wasn't sure every detail would really play a part, but what else could he do? And really, who's to say that they don't?

"There was a clatter and… Then there was… Nothing?" He sighed, seemingly having trouble remembering the dream.

"After the clatter was… what? What was after the clatter?" He mumbled to himself. Why couldn't he remember? It was right in front of him! Just a few minutes ago, every detail of the dream was crystal clear. Suddenly he couldn't focus, but he didn't want to forget the dream! So he focused on the one thought.

"The clatter… it was almost a metallic sound. Maybe glass? No… It seems so _familiar_..."

He pondered aloud.

"Hey, Jay what do you- Oh. Right."

He sat there for a minute in silence, suddenly not sure what he was thinking about.

The clock on the wall ticked, slowly.

Nearly silent car horns went off in the distance.

The snow fell in it's own noise, more lulling than anything.

There was no Jay to ramble on about his latest invention. No Nya to work on system repairs. No Kai and Cole yelling at each other about who was cheating and who wasn't in their latest video game. No Lloyd flipping through comic book pages and yelling at the fictional characters. There wasn't even the subtle *sluuurp* of Sensei's tea cup.

It led him to realize that he didn't even know what he did do when they _were_ around. He was just kind of… there.

Sometimes he would help Jay by handing him tools he needed. Or he'd silently cheer Kai on during one of his gaming sessions. Occasionally, he'd even read comic books with Lloyd.

What did he do during _his_ free time? Cook? What good was that? Was it even considered a hobby?

Suddenly, he just felt numb. He really was just a robot. He didn't have hobbies, and at the moment, he felt no emotion. Except, at the realization of this, sadness.

He wasn't even sure anymore if the dream was indeed a dream, or if it was really in his right to be looking for his falcon for company.

Before another depressing thought could make itself known, the door burst open to reveal Jay and Cole laughing themselves silly and holding onto each other, almost like drunks. (Lucky for you guys, I hate alcohol, so forget that idea for a story right now!)

"I can't believe you guys actually won!" Jay exclaimed, patting Cole on the back, who had a large trophy grasped in his other arm.

"Ha! I'm more surprised Dad let me keep the trophy! He musta' run out of space on his own trophy shelf!"

"No kidding! 'You can keep the trophy for now, but only because I have no time to run back to the house first!'" Jay mimicked Mr. Bucket and the two roared with laughter.

"He wouldn't have needed to take me back too! I bet he's just too embarrassed to admit he's actually proud of me!" Cole said between gasps of laughter.

"Ha! You're lucky! I wish my parents were like that! All they do is smother me with attention!" Jay said, sounding more sarcastic.

"That's how it works, Jay. The successful kids get no attention, and the unsuccessful ones get all the attention." Cole stated matter-of-factly, also being more sarcastic.

"Hey! I am too successful!" Jay showed faux offense.

"I never said you weren't!" Cole said.

"Hey, guys. How'd it go?" Zane asked moving from his spot to break up what would probably turn into an argument.

"Great!" They said in unison.

"Cole won the dancing competition!" Jay once again exclaimed.

"With my whole family and everything! But don't forget about your Christmas machine!"

"Oh, yeah! My machine!" Jay pulled his bag in and pulled out the trinket he'd been working on before he left.

"It makes hot cocoa and cookies at the same time!" Cole said, waiting excitedly as Jay flipped a switch on his invention.

"Not only that, but it can play Christmas music!" Jay added, cranking a small handle.

The three stared at the machine as it whirred to life, then made a few popping noises, and shut back off with a 'ding!'

"Out pops a cookie!" Cole said, Jay pulling open a tiny compartment which now held a warm chocolate chip cookie. He picked up the treat and handed it to Cole, who eagerly took a bite out of it.

"Drelescius!" He said through a mouth full of cookie.

Zane chuckled distractedly. He still couldn't quite seem to focus, but he had to admit, this was amusing, to see Jay and Cole acting like best buds. Deep down, that's probably all they ever were.

Just as Cole stuffed the last bite of his cookie into his mouth and Jay put his Christmas device on the table, the door opened once more, this time revealing the entire rest of the crew.

Kai carried Nya in, wiggling his fingers at her sides as he did so, and Nya giggling in turn.

"Kai, put me down!" She demanded through fits of laughter.

Kai grinned and set her down, dropping his ice skates by the door as he did so, Nya doing the same. They walked in to make room for the rest of the group.

Sensei Wu, Garmadon, Lloyd, and Misako all walked in, chattering contentedly about the nice restaurant they'd been in.

Unsure of what else to do, Zane asked, "Have you all eaten?" There really wasn't much else he could do, so he figured if no one had eaten yet, he could always make dinner.

To his dismay, the room filled with every form of 'yup' you could think of.

"Yeah, already done!"

"Mmhm, it was delicious!"

"Nothing like Mom's cooking!"

"Yup!"

"We're good."

Zane put on a small smile. "Alright. I made some pie if anyone would like some. It's in the kitchen." He turned around and walked out with a disheartened frown before anyone could respond. It didn't matter too much, everyone else had just gone back to chattering.

Zane walked down the hall and to their shared bedroom, plopping down onto his bed. He leaned back onto his pillow and stared at the bottom of the bed above him. It had been a long day. It was actually kind of depressing.

He thought back to his dream again, trying to figure out if it meant anything. It was just so strange, and completely out of the blue. Even as the whispers became louder, he couldn't tell if they were a man's or a woman's. He couldn't hardly remember anyway. The voice had said his name once, didn't it? Even if it didn't it did seem to be somehow referring to him. Was it someone he knew in his past? He really hadn't met very many people. It was pretty much limited to the people on the Bounty, their enemies, and their allies.

So what was so unnerving about the dream? True, it was a little spooky, but none of what he'd witnessed had anything to really do with him or any of the others. And yet it still woke him with a start.

Subconsciously, he reached a hand to his head where he'd hit it that morning after the dream woke him up.

"Ouch!" He took his hand off and sat quickly back up, hitting his head _again_ , in the same spot.

"OUCH!" He groaned.

Standing up, he walked over to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

 _Strange_ , he thought. He parted his hair and there was a bruise on the soar spot. "I thought I couldn't get bruises."

"You wouldn't have said that a couple of months ago." Another voice said.

Zane jumped slightly and walked out to see Kai standing by the doorway.

"I didn't know I was a robot a couple of months ago." He said simply.

" _So?_ That doesn't change anything."

"What do you mean?" Zane asked, somewhat confused.

"You could bruise then, so you can bruise now."

"But I'm just a robot. Robots shouldn't be able to be injured, or feel pain."

"Nindroid, Zane. You are not a robot. In fact, you're probably more human than most of us are."

Zane looked at him confused.

Kai sighed, then smiled at him sympathetically.

"You seem to have forgotten that you weren't just built to be a machine. You were built to protect others and be a companion. You were made to be just as human as is possible. You were _made_ to be able to feel pain, to be injured, to feel sad or upset. It's what made you say 'ouch' when you touched your head, and what made you react so quickly when you registered the pain. You are _not just a robot._ " Kai explained.

Zane's expression changed from confused to something else entirely. Some form of recognition and what almost looked like shame. Hurt, in some way.

Kai, not knowing what else to do, turned to leave.

"The pie was really good, by the way."

And, at that, left Zane to his thoughts.

* * *

So? What do you think? Good? Bad? Amazing? Terrible? I have quite honestly been waiting a very long time to find a way to use the idea that Zane is not just a robot. That he was built to be as human as he could be, which is why he can feel pain and emotion. He's quite honestly my favorite character, which, naturally means that he's going to be the center of all my cruel ideas. Twisted, isn't it? Just how it works, I mean. All us writers do that.

-LizzyLucky


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I'm back! Finally! Sorry… I know I'm not all that good at updating. It's not like I have millions of adoring fans depending on these updates or anything, but still. I'm not super depressed, I don't have enormous life-troubling writer's block, I'm not sick, I'm not dead, and I'm not so busy that I never have time. At this point, it's not even the fact that I don't have a computer. I _can_ use my phone to type these stories, and even enjoy it. The truth of it is that sometimes I just don't want to. I like the stories, I like writing, and I love when I get reactions to my stories, but honestly, I'm just really kind of lazy and tend to do other things when I have free time. Play on the piano, draw, facebook, pretend I'm in a big movie scene in the bathroom mirrors... Ahem! Anyway, I guess I'm just not used to updating very much. When I first got my account, I tried to be, but that was a beginner's kind of thing, ya know? Then I settled in a bit. It's been what, two years? Since I was last into more regular writing. Then I just kinda stopped. I want to be better about it now, so I'm trying, but I'm severely out of practice and so I'm still not fantastic about it. I'm working on it though. Anyway, I hope you guys have been liking my story, and I hope you'll stay with me long enough to see its end. Here is the third chapter, and I hope you like it!

-LizzyLucky

* * *

Kai walked back out to the makeshift "living room" of the bounty where everyone else had piled in. No one except Sensei Wu and Nya knew he'd left to check on Zane. As he walked in, Nya looked at him and placed a hand on Wu's shoulder to get his attention. He paused mid-sentence and turned his head.  
"Ah." He hummed to himself. Nya nodded and walked back into the group of boys on the other side of the room.

"Excuse me for a moment." Wu said, turning his head back to Garmadon before making his way over to Kai.

"Is Zane alright?" He asked when he caught sight of Kai's worried face.

"I don't know, Sensei. He seems kinda out of it. I mean, ever since his falcon went missing… I dunno. Now whatever it is he had a nightmare about his morning's got him-" He started to explain.

"Nightmare? Another dream? Why didn't anyone alert me?" Wu looked concerned, holding a hand out.

"I guess it just never occurred to us. You guys left pretty early, and he doesn't seem to be very comfortable with telling the rest of us either. I think he's starting to feel like he doesn't belong. He kinda… forgot that… Oh I don't even know! Something's just not right with him, Sensei!" He threw his hands up exasperatedly. Realizing how loud he'd started to get, he noticed every other pair of eyes in the room on him.

"Not right with who?" Lloyd asked, looking confused. Kai looked around the room, trying to think of something to say. Sensei beat him to it, however, and cleared his throat.

"We have a friend in need." He said, moving his hands into a locked position behind his back, the way he tended to when he was thinking. He walked slowly over to the table and motioned for the others to follow him so he could explain the situation. No one said a word as they all gathered around the table in a circle.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Jay asked, placing his hands on the edge of the table.

"Kai, could you please explain?" Mildly surprising the group, Wu turned to Kai, who raised his eyebrows for a brief moment before shaking his head.

"Uh, right. Um, yeah, so… Ya know how Zane was the last one to wake up this morning?" He started.

"Oh, yeah! He had some nightmare or something, right?" Jay asked, almost excited at how he was able to remember, then slumped at the idea.

"Woah, wait, what?" Lloyd scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Zane had a nightmare? Didn't you guys tell me that the last time he had a dream, it was like, really important? Is he alright? Did he tell you the dream?" He leaned forward anxiously.

"Relax, kid. I haven't gotten to that part. And no, he didn't tell any of us his dream. At, least, not that I'm aware. Did he tell any of you?" He looked around the circle, everyone shaking their heads or shrugging.

"Um, okay, anyway, Zane had a nightmare and he wouldn't tell any of us what it was, but he seemed pretty freaked out. I didn't really see much, but he did wake with a start. Hit his head pretty good on the bunk, too…" Lloyd winced.

"Is he alright?" Garmadon asked, father instincts kicking in. (Yeah, I totally love that gushy fatherly stuff…)

"Yeah, I think so. Looked like he just bruised it." Kai paused, unsure of how to continue.

"It would seem that this dream of his is not the only issue though, is it?" Wu said, turning the attention back on him.

"No." Kai said glumly, looking to the side almost guiltily.

"As you know, or as you should know by now, Zane's falcon has gone missing. Zane has been unable to connect with it and it has been gone far longer than is needed to complete its mission, which was to double check for trouble around Ninjago city after the Final Battle. I believe, with the holidays coming up, we have been too involved in our own matters and have consequently left Zane feeling very alone. His father passed very recently, as you'll recall." He explained. As the idea set in, the other ninja found themselves mimicking Kai's self-disappointed stance. They'd been so wrapped up in the holidays that they didn't even notice how lonely Zane had become.

"What's worse is that I think he's begun to doubt himself because of it." Kai said, turning the attention of the group once more.

"What do you mean?" Cole asked,

Ml his head.

"After Zane left the room, I went to check on him, and I think… I think he's starting to feel like he doesn't belong here. Because we've been, uh, ignoring him lately, he's started to feel like maybe we don't like him. Like, because he's a nindroid, or a _robot_ , as he said, he doesn't feel like he has the right to… to…. I don't know. Just like he's not supposed to be lonely. When I went to talk to him, he said that robots weren't supposed to be able to be injured or feel pain. He acted like he couldn't even remember what it was like before he found out he wasn't human. He treats himself like a mindless machine more than I think any of us ever has."

"That's _awful_! What did you say to him?" Cole asked, clenching his fists. Jay put a calming hand on his shoulder to remind him he wasn't at fault.

"I told him only what I could think to tell him. That he's just as human now as he was before he found out he was a nindroid." The entire table was silent for a few seconds as the conversation sunk in fully.

"It sounds like we need to bring Zane's spirits back up." Wu said simply. Nods went around the table.

Kai put one hand on his chin and the other behind his back. He looked down in thought. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Guys!"

"What is it, Kai? Did you think of something?! Do you know how to-" Jay lifted himself off the ground and leaned over the table.

"Look! I think this is-" He lifted up the piece of paper that had been sitting directly in front of him. As it happened, this was the paper Zane had been trying to lay out his dream on before. "Zane's dream…"

"Let me see! What does it say, what does it SAY?!" Jay leaned further over the table, trying to reach the page with his right hand. Kai pulled it up and out of the way, Jay falling down flat on his face on the table.

Wu looked at Kai almost warningly. Garmadon and Misako shared his expression.

"Well what is it?" Cole asked, pulling Jay back down to the ground.

"Maybe it can help us to help Zane!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Does it really have his dream on it?" Nya asked, also leaning forward some. Kai held the paper further behind him like he was afraid they were all gonna pounce and take it from him. He glanced around at the faces of their three oldest members.

"No."  
"What?!" Came the chorus of groans and shocked faces.

"I mean, yes, it has his dream on it. It's pretty plain to see, but…" Kai trailed off, pulling the paper in front of him and gazing at it for only a moment before turning his head back up to the rest of the group. Nya's face dawned with realization and she nodded.

"It's not right. To read it, I mean, without his permission. Whatever that dream was was obviously pretty crazy and Zane wasn't comfortable sharing it with us this morning. Reading this would be invading. We need to wait until he's comfortable telling us himself." He folded the piece of paper into eighths and handed it to Wu, who readily grabbed it and tucked it away in his pocket. The ninja shared a look of understanding, and their senseis, one of relief and admiration for his being able to understand.

"Alright. Good. I'd say it's high time to call it a night. Wouldn't you agree, Wu?" Garmadon stretched and turned to his brother.

"Absolutely. Off to bed, students." He nodded to his students, each of which walked away without a word of complaint. They had a lot to think about.

Kai was at the head of the line towards their shared bedroom. He walked in first, and, thinking it appropriate, muttered a quick "Goodnight, Zane" as he passed said nindroid's bed. The others followed suit, before changing and climbing into their own beds.

* * *

So! What do you think? I'd like to introduce my OC in the next chapter, if I can. I know we didn't get too far with this chapter, but it's something. Just as a forewarning, I really love brotherly fluff, especially between Kai and Zane. I love fatherly stuff too, like Wu or Garmadon for any of the ninja. That's just something I like, so don't be surprised if there's more of it later on. Anyway, that's chapter 3, I hope you liked it! Hopefully I'll update again soon.

-LizzyLucky


	4. Chapter 4

Wow! I have to be honest; I'm really glad there are still people who enjoy my story! I got a super achievement this week, too: I updated the same story more than once! I haven't done that in a very long time, so I'm proud of myself. You guys and your comments are helping me to get off my lazy butt. And **toothlessturtle21** , wow, just wow. You're awesome, man. I'm glad to see you're so interested in keeping track of my story. **AmberJackson** , too, thank you! I'm sorry I still haven't done your story request yet, but it means a lot that you're always checking in on me. And even though it was forever ago, your comment here made me smile.

Alright, without further ado, I give you chapter 4!  
-LizzyLucky

* * *

It had been hours since everyone had gone to bed, but for once, Zane couldn't get to sleep. He was baffled by it at first, wondering why he wasn't able to fall asleep the regular way or just shut himself down manually, but then remembered what Kai had said to him the day before.

" _You are not just a robot."_ It echoed in his head and it flustered him. He couldn't believe how much he'd just let himself start to believe that he was just a robot. What Kai had said was right. Several months ago, he thought he was as human as could be, so did everyone else. He was a little strange, but some people are that way anyway. He could bruise, bleed, feel pain, feel sadness… He could be hurt. But… he could also feel pride and joy, he could be satisfied with a meal, enjoy the smells, sights, tastes, of everything. He could do anything a regular person could do, and he had his own limitations that made him seem even more human.

So what exactly changed his mind? Why did finding out he was a robot- a nindroid- make him suddenly feel like he wasn't human? Like he wasn't supposed to even be capable of feeling all of these other things? Like he didn't deserve to have friends or the comforts of a home and a bed?

Zane sat up on his bed and tried to meditate. Maybe if he just sat still and listened to everything happening around him, he could clear his mind and relax a little.

"I'll never be able to concentrate tomorrow if I don't get any sleep." He muttered to himself. Then he smiled.

"Just like a regular person."

He closed his eyes and straightened his back. He tried to clear his mind and focused only on the sounds he could hear around him. Or, even, the lack of sound. Outside, the snow fell gently. The sounds of the always bustling city were muffled. The cars and the working factories made sounds which were now dispersed through the air and left a sound which could only really be described with the word _soft_. The wind blew just as mildly, causing soft, powdery snow to blow by the window, like a white mist. A gently spraying sound of sorts, reminding him of the sea.

Inside the room there were no noises. No creaky footsteps, no television or video games, no arguments. Not even the soft flapping of comic book pages on those nights that Lloyd couldn't sleep himself. All he could hear was breathing.

Kai, of course, snored lightly, but it was more of a peaceful sound. Jay was usually the loud sleeper, but not tonight. He was nearly silent, tossing in his bed occasionally. Quiet breaths, too, came from Cole, and even Lloyd. The room, for the most part, was silent, and Zane was finally beginning to relax.

With these sounds running through his head, and the peacefulness that came with each of them, Zane began to lay back down, pulling the covers over himself as he did so. He was finally starting to become….. tired enough… to fall… asleep….

Zane's figure relaxed into a comfortable position and he began to fall asleep.

But, as you probably know, getting comfortable in bed is usually when you realize you forgot to do something, or when your alarm for the morning goes off, or just plain when something goes wrong and you have to get up again anyway. Thus as it is for our poor, sleepy nindroid…

Just as Zane was about to fall into a dreamless sleep, there was a loud _bang!_ outside the window. His eyes practically flew open, and several other ninja woke with a start.

"What's that?!" Kai slurred, still half asleep.

"We're under attack!" Cole shouted, jumping out of bed and effectively waking the rest of the room's residents.

Zane sat up quickly, being careful not to hit his head _again_ and jumped up, running toward the window. The other ninja followed suit, each standing ready to attack should the need arise.

Another bang went off outside. Someone screamed and there was a thump against the wall.

Zane looked over at the nearest person to him with worry. Kai, who was standing right there, shared the same expression. It sounded like someone outside could be in trouble. Nodding to each other, the two walked cautiously over to the window. Zane moved to open it but jumped back before his hand could even reach the latch.

In one moment of utter terror, the ninja watched something come flying through the window, causing shards of shattered window to shower Zane and Kai, then spill all over the floor. The five ninja turned their heads immediately to see the object fly through the air and crash into one of the bunk beds with a loud _snap_ , flip around, and collide with the back wall of the room.

Once it sat still, the horrifying realization hit: It was a person. Whether this was a good or a bad thing, a _person_ just came crashing through the window and smacked into the back wall. And, shuddering, Zane realized he wasn't sure if that snapping sound was the bed, or the unconscious figure now in their room.

Turning back around, each ninja took their turn jumping out the window only to come across a massive gathering of serpentine. There were hundreds of them, every kind, fully armed and ready to attack.

"Oh no…" Kai muttered. A glance was shared between them before the serpentine charged, already feeling triumphant, for their home.

"Kai, go get Nya to start up the ship, and we'll hold them off!" Cole ordered, charging in himself. Zane, Jay, and Lloyd ran up with him, spreading out and creating a temporary barrier between the Serpentine and the Bounty. Kai nodded and ran back in through the window without another word, calling his sister's name all the way.

"Nya! Nya, start up the engines! Now!"

Nya poked her head from her own room down the hall and looked at him grumpily. She must not have been waken up before. By the looks of it, no one else at all had been woken.

"We're under attack, we can't hold them off for long!" He shouted, running past her room and to his sensei's.

Nya blinked rapidly and her eyes widened as she registered what he'd said. She took off at a sprint down the halls and to the other side of the bounty, turning on the aerial systems and flipping switches everywhere there was to flip a switch.

"Sensei! Sensei, we're under attack!" Kai pounded anxiously on the door and jiggled the door knob.

Outside, the remaining four ninja were severely outnumbered. They were beginning to run out of stamina and time.

"I don't know if we can do this any longer, Cole! Especially without our weapons!" Zane called, locked in a battle of strength with another serpentine.

"Why couldn't I have gone to get Nya, huh?" Jay whined loudly as he ducked away from one of the hypnobrai's tricks.

"Shut your yaps, guys, the engine's starting up already, hear it?" Cole replied, turning his head back to the Bounty, which was rumbling to life.

"Everybody, let's go! It's already taking off!" Lloyd shouted. The other ninja grunted their agrees and each spun their way out of the crowd of Serpentine, then turned around for the Bounty.

Zane, however, turned to run with the others and got his ankle caught by a scaly hand.

"Let! Go!" He shook it off and turned to run towards the ship. Cole got there first and watched to see the others get in.

"Hurry, Zane!" He called. Zane stumbled the last few feet and dove in through the window just as the ship began to fly upwards, Cole following suit. The two landed in a heap on the floor, the other ninja standing around them. The room filled with the sound of panicked panting. Not as peaceful a sound as when they were all asleep, Zane decided.

Wu walked into the room with Kai behind him.

"Is everyone accounted for?" He asked, looking around the room.

"Yes, Sensei! We're all here, but-" Jay cut Zane off, who was trying to tell Wu of the person who came crashing through their window.

"WHAT was that?! Huh?! Why are we being attacked by Serpentine!? I thought we were rid of them AGES AGO!" He shouted, waving his arms around for exaggeration.

Wu chuckled amusedly then frowned in thought.

"I do not know." He said.  
"What if they're trying to take over the surface again?" Kai asked.

"I suppose that's a possibility. However, there are many possibilities, so we cannot immediately determine what they may be trying to do."

"Sensei, there's a-" Zane started again but paused when all eyes turned to him. Since when is he shy? Well, technically, he was always shy, but not to the point he would freeze up in front of his own friends!

"Ah, yes, Zane! I do realize, the serpentine may be responsible for the disappearance of your falcon." Wu said, turning to Zane.

He was taken aback. He almost forgot about that, considering everything else that had been happening in the previous 24 hours.

"Maybe he's out there, Zane!" Kai exclaimed, gesturing to their computer, which had a tracking device installed. For a moment, Zane forgot all about the person on the floor and looked toward the computer himself, hope glimmering in his ice-blue eyes. Then he frowned and turned his head away, knowing that even his falcon wasn't as important next to the issues at hand.

"What's wrong, Zane?" Jay asked quietly.

"There is- someone came flying through the window-" Zane replied distractedly. He stood up and walked towards the back wall, the rest of the room watching him.

"Oh yeah! Ugh, who's going to have to clean all that glass?" Jay groaned.

Cole rolled his eyes and he and the rest of the group walked to follow Zane.

"What?" Jay stuck his arms out, oblivious, as usual.

"Be careful guys, it's probably a serpentine." Kai said, walking up behind Zane. The ninja and their Sensei crowded around the figure. The first thing they heard was a gasp from Zane.

It was not a serpentine.

Not a hypnobrai. Not a constricti. Not venomari or any of the others.

It was not a snake, or a skeleton, nor was it any of the other strange creatures inhabiting Ninjago.

In fact, it wasn't even an enemy.

The person sat in front of them was just that: a person.

It was a teenaged girl.

A child.

And she was hurt.

* * *

I honestly imagined that ending (to the chapter guys, don't worry) being very dramatic. It probably wasn't, but whatever. I'm not the greatest writer in the world, but I hope it was good enough… Tell me what you think? Please? I'm such a crazy bad writer…

-LizzyLucky


	5. Chapter 5

Wow! I just- wow! Two updated in two days! I _really_ haven't done that in a very long time. And it's all thanks to you guys! You're all so supportive, and it makes me very happy! I am suddenly reminded of why exactly I was so much better about updates way back when. **The Mayor of Ninjago City** , was it? Wow! I can't believe you came back more than a year later! Your comment especially made me feel a lot better about my writing and helped me to realize that I have actually been able to develop a style of my own. Thank you all, guys! And here's chapter 5!

-LizzyLucky

* * *

"A girl?! Why was there a _girl_ in with the serpentine?" Jay asked exasperatedly.

"Like any of the rest of us would know… She was probably the one who screamed outside." Kai said.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Now, you think she's friend or foe?" Cole bent down to inspect her as he talked.

"That doesn't matter. Right now, she needs to be tended to. As a matter of fact, I would like you all tended to. Ready yourselves for the day and eat breakfast. I trust you can tend to your own wounds, should there be any? Or at the very least, each other's." Wu said, turning around and dismissing them.

"Yes, Sensei." Came their answer, along with 5 bows. The ninja turned inward to their room to do as told.

Wu put a hand on Nya's shoulder, however.

"I would like you to help me with this girl." He said simply. Nya nodded silently and picked up the girl. As she did so, she realized that they couldn't have been very distanced in age. Nor from the other ninja. They were all teenagers, just that Nya was the youngest. (Unless you count Lloyd, but rules don't really seem to apply to him, do they?)

Following Wu out, Nya decided she was going to find out more about this girl. It was kind of exciting, really. If she was an enemy, of course, that would be a little harder. But who's to say that they can't change that? There are plenty of bad people who go good. Lots of enemies made friends. And, well, if she wasn't an enemy… the more the merrier, right? Either way, she figured it would probably be really interesting to find out how this girl came to be among the serpentine, even if it was a spur-of-the-moment accident.

"Set her down here." Wu said, gesturing to an old couch in the spare room they usually used for tending wounds. He figured it best to tend to her here, then place her on a regular bed until she woke up.

Nodding, Nya placed the girl gently on the couch.

"I think her leg is broken, Sensei. That or she has incredibly flexible legs. It just didn't seem natural for it to be so… floppy, when I was carrying her." Nya said, placing a gentle hand on the girl's leg.

"It certainly looks that way." He agreed.

"How old do you think she is?"

"Well, my guess would be only as good as yours. She looks to be around your age. Certainly no older than the oldest of our ninja, but not a young child either."

"I thought the same thing." Nya said quietly. She ran her hand along the break in the girl's leg, then walked over to her other side to check for other damage.

"A bruise on the center of her back… but no damage to the spine… She's got a pretty good cut here on her arm, and another smaller one on her face… I think that's about all of it already. Plenty of smaller scrapes, bruises, and stuff, but nothing too major to worry about." She half muttered to herself. It was a bit of a habit. She was by no means a professional, but she's had more than enough experience on similar things with the ninja, who were naturally getting themselves hurt all the time. She would list off injuries she saw as she went, and decide what she needed for them in her head.

Wu, who was right behind her and watching, chuckled lightly to himself. She was a bit of a wonder to see at work.

"Could you get me some bandages and a splint, please? I could do with some antibiotic gel, too." She said, turning her head to look at Wu. He nodded kindly and turned for the cupboards and shelves near the other side of the room.

(Just real quick, I actually have no idea how you're supposed to set or treat a broken bone. The antibiotic gel is what I call the same weird gunk you put on little cuts and raw scrapes at my house, so I just kinda went with it…)

Wu grabbed three bandage rolls, a long splint, and a large tube of the gel Nya had requested before turning around.

"Thank you." She said as she grabbed the items from him and began her work. Just as she got started, footsteps could be heard approaching the room. Wu turned to see Cole and Zane, the latter holding his head.

"Zane." Wu said blankly, not expecting his appearance.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, getting Nya's attention as well. She turned around to look at the two Ninja. Cole almost laughed and tried to smile sympathetically at Zane, who looked very confused as to his amusement.

"Zane, uh… Zane hit his head again." Cole said, pointing at the Nindroid.

"Again? As in he'd already hit it?" Wu said, voicing Nya's thoughts.

"Yeah."

"When I had a nightmare… yesterday morning, I hit my head. On the bunk. And in the evening, I hit it again." Zane said sheepishly.

"I was looking for something and I thought I might have put it on my bed…" He trailed off.

"Then when it wasn't there, he sat up and hit his head again. And in the exact same spot!" Cole finished.

"Maybe we should tape a pillow up there, huh? Three times in two days. I don't even think Jay's done it that bad!" Cole said, having to muffle his laughter again.

"Wow, Zane. Are you alright?" Nya asked.

"I'm fine. I just need a bandage and an icepack." Zane said simply, walking to the cupboard and grabbing a roll of bandages, then to the fridge for an icepack.

"Pfft! _Fine_. You were crying like a baby!" Cole said teasingly.

"What?! No I wasn't!" Zane said defensively as he began to unroll the bandages. The two turned out the doorway.

"Yes you were!" Cole said, this time even more playfully.

"I absolutely was not! When have I ever cried over anything?" Zane said, sounding almost offended.

Wu and Nya could hear Cole burst into laughter down the hall and mutter something about how he was only joking, Zane chuckling a little too.

"I'm glad to see how much effort the ninja have made to help Zane. It would seem he is already feeling much better."Wu said, smiling fondly. Nya grinned and nodded.

* * *

"Okay, where's my sock!?" Jay groaned, throwing laundry from his dresser all over the floor.

"Like we should know! It's your sock!" Kai said, rolling his eyes.

Lloyd chuckled and flopped to the floor dramatically.

"Oh no! What will ever become of the blue ninja without his sock?! The world will ennnndddd!" He cried out, rolling around. Kai burst out laughing.

"Good one!" He said, clapping hands with Lloyd, who lay on the ground like he was dead.

"Oh, ha, ha! Seriously guys, where is it!?" He threw his hands up and walked frustratedly back to his bed.

Cole and Zane walked back in the room, both laughing.

"I know you didn't, I was only joking!" Cole said, clapping a hand to Zane's back.

"Hey, guys! You good, Zane?" Kai greeted, then gestured to Zane's head.

(In all honesty, that sounds weird to me)

"I'm fine. I just need to bandage it." He said dismissively. Cole patted him once more on the back, then walked over to his bed.

"Jay! Stop leaving your stuff on my bed!" He shouted suddenly. He picked up something on his bed and threw it at Jay.

"My sock! You found it!" He grinned. He danced in his spot and plopped down on the floor to slip on said sock.

"Whatever." Cole rolled his eyes and went to grab a pair of his own socks.

"I'm getting hungry. Maybe we should get some breakfast going." Kai said.

"I can cook if you like." Zane spoke up, eager to find something to do.

"You sure, Zane? You look exhausted." Lloyd said.

Zane scrunched his eyebrows, confused. He walked into the bathroom to check the mirror. He'd need it anyway, to put on the bandage properly. His reflection was the very definition of exhausted. Visually, at least. His eyes were bloodshot and droopy. He was slumped over and he had an absolutely wild bed head look going on. He looked exhausted, and now that he thought about it, he _felt_ exhausted, too. But that didn't matter too much to him. It just meant a sleepy day. He'd get the rest he needed tomorrow and tonight.

"I suppose I am a little tired, but it's fine. I can still focus enough, and I'll make sure I get the sleep I need tomorrow." He said, walking back into their room.

"If you say so." Jay said, somewhat worriedly. But he quickly dismissed it and grinned at Zane.

"Not that Cole didn't do a lot better with breakfast yesterday, but I'm glad it's you cooking instead today!" He exclaimed.

"Hey!" Cole said, whipping his head in the direction of the blue ninja. Jay chuckled nervously. The two of them decided they were done in the room and walked out, quickly followed by Lloyd.

Zane watched them leave the room then turned back to the mirror and tried to start bandaging his head. He held one end of the bandage against his forehead and tried to use the other hand to wrap it around the back of his head. It started okay and he got it around about once before he dropped the roll, which pretty instantly tangled around his legs. The bandage fell from his head as well. He bent over to try to pick it up but began to lose his balance. He stood back up, wobbled a little, then hopped around to try and keep from falling. He hopped out of the bathroom and managed to get the bandage even more tangled around his legs. He reached for the nearest object to keep his balance with, which happened to be a shirt hanging over the edge of the bunk above his bed. As soon as he grabbed it, it slid over the edge and he plummeted face first for the ground with an "Ooph," shirt still in hand.

Kai walked over, having seen the stumble.

"Need some help, Zane?" He asked.

"That would be appreciated…" Zane said quietly, rolling over and sitting up. Kai bent down and the two started to untangle his legs and roll the bandage back up.

"Let's try to keep it so we don't have to go back for more bandages, alright?" He said with a chuckle.

"Good idea." Zane agreed. He stood back up to reattempt bandaging his head, reaching to grab the roll from Kai. Kai, however, didn't loosen his grip.

"How about _I_ bandage it this time?" He said.

Zane nodded sheepishly.

"Here, just sit down on your bed, I got it." Kai gestured.

It had been a long time since Zane had needed someone else to tend to his wounds. He did occasionally need Nya or Jay to replace a broken wire in his systems, but that was a bit different. He supposed that it did count as an injury, and it certainly wasn't a painless process, but it just wasn't the same thing.

Zane sat down on his bed and turned at an angle so Kai could better reach his head. He waited patiently as the bandage was wrapped around the injury, once, twice, thrice, and on. After maybe a minute, his head had been fully wrapped and Kai handed Zane the icepack, which he'd somehow forgotten about.

"Thank you." He said politely

"See, that wasn't so hard." Kai said.

"Easy for you to say." Zane said, standing up.

"Here, let's just go get breakfast." Kai chuckled once more and strode over to the door. Zane followed silently, icepack held to his head.

* * *

Okay, yeah, maybe not the greatest spot to end a chapter, but I'm like totally out of time. It was short, too, since I only had my phone for writing, but it'll have to do. I have to leave, and this chapter was kind of satisfying to write, so I figured it's good to leave it there. I just super love the brotherly bonding stuff, so this chapter had a bit of that. Anyway, tell me what you think! I hope you liked it! And I'll have the next chapter out, hopefully, soon. Thanks for reading, guys!

-LizzyLucky


	6. Chapter 6

Hey-o! I am on a ROLL! I've got it goin', I tell ya! And I feel AMAZING! I know I'm not a super fantastic writer, but I'm good enough to get out my ideas for fanfiction, and even though I'm not popular, neither my story, every single view, every single comment, review, follow, fav, everything, it makes me absolutely euphoric, and I love it! You guys mean the world to me when I'm writing, and I don't think I could stretch this enough. Just one review for each chapter gives me so much confidence and gives me reason to continue writing, cus it just makes me so happy! I hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to set y'all up to give me a million reviews (though that would be cool). I'm just glad to have a few people who genuinely enjoy reading my stuff. Anyway, now we've got that gushy stuff out of the way, I can get right to the story. Enjoy, and thank you so much!

-LizzyLucky

* * *

Once Zane and Kai had finished up, they headed for the kitchen for breakfast. Zane immediately set to preparing the mealing, preheating the kitchen's griddle and gathering supplies. He had found a new recipe and decided he wanted to try it out. It was always fun to try new foods, both in the sense of cooking and eating.

"Whatcha making?" Jay asked, peeking over Zane's shoulder as he grabbed a bag of bread.

"I'm trying a new recipe. French toast." He said simply.

"Toast? That doesn't sound like a very good breakfast." Jay said, scratching his head as he watched Zane.

"Not by the name, I suppose. The recipe itself, though, makes it seem more extravagant. You coat bread with raw egg, and sometimes a little cinnamon, then you cook it on a griddle, or a frying pan. Once it's cooked, you can eat it with syrup, powdered sugar, cinnamon and sugar, jam, butter, or any other breakfast topping. It sounded pretty good. Kind of like pancakes." Zane explained, opening the fridge and looking for a carton of eggs.

(This is legit, by the way. I eat it for breakfast all the time. It's one of my favorites. (= )

"Hmm. Sounds interesting. Except the eggs part. Who would want eggs on their toast? Or their pancakes?" Jay shrugged his shoulders back and creased his eyebrow.

"There are eggs in pancakes, Jay. It doesn't make them taste like eggs, it just adds a sort of breakfast-flavor. Like adding salt. It doesn't make the meal taste like salt, it just enhances the flavor." Zane said matter-of-factly.

Jay looked like he was trying very hard to focus and failing. His eyes drifted upward in thought and after a moment, he shook his head.

"Whatever." He said, smiling awkwardly. Zane chuckled.

Jay walked off to the breakfast table, which was buzzing with morning chatter.

Zane set to work, coating the bread slices and laying them across the griddle. He hummed softly to himself.

His mind wandered as he worked, thinking back once more to the strange dream he had. It really seemed to have occupied his free time as of late. It was still just so… Surreal, to him. It didn't make sense. He himself was the only person he recognized. And aside from the bounty, he couldn't recall having been to any of the places he'd seen in the faded scenes. The voice wasn't familiar either. Of course, it was more of a whisper. It did become more of a voice at the end, though. And what it said was pretty chilling, too.

 _I don't want to die!_ It echoed in his head, haunting him. It was absolutely terrifying, if he thought about it. Especially mixed with the setting. Everything had become black, with these strange flashes, like lightning, he remembered, which were red. The rumbling and the red light gave the phrase an even more eery feeling. At the same time, though, he felt sad. Almost devastated. He was afraid for the owner of the voice. He almost felt like he was supposed to know her.

Wait, _her?_ Where did that come from? He couldn't even tell if it was a male's or a female's voice _during_ the dream! Was it just because of the girl that they'd found earlier?

The girl! Oh, heavens! Was she okay? What if she was the same girl in…

"No, Zane, that's ridiculous!" He muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He was so confused! He was trying to think about too many things at once.

"What's ridiculous?" Kai's voice questioned from behind Zane, who jumped in surprise and almost dropped the bowl he was holding, now filled with raw egg. Kai chuckled.  
"Sorry." He apologized.

Zane smiled, almost chuckling himself. It wasn't very often, but he was occasionally involved enough with his own matters that one of the ninja did manage to startle him.

"So what's up?" Kai asked, noticing the perplexed expression on Zane's face.

"I was just… thinking." He said.

"About that dream?" Kai took a step forward to look more directly at Zane.

The nindroid remained silent.

"Can I take that as a yes?" Kai sighed and put a hand on Zane's shoulder.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Zane looked like he was considering it for a moment, but shook his head and turned silently back to the griddle. He grabbed a spatula and slid it under a piece of bread and flipped it over, revealing a perfectly cooked brown color.

Kai's shoulders drooped. He knew it was only a dream, but after everything that'd happened, it seemed to be the tipping point for Zane. And if he was still lingering on it even just a day later… Well, he was worried. No dream, or nightmare, should leave this much of an effect, especially not with their Nindroid friend. He was known for that sixth sense.

The same thought from the day before returned. This dream could be important. And not just for Zane.

"Okay, Zane. I won't push. But if it's bugging you that much, just…" Kai turned to the door and held it open.

"Consider letting us know. We can help you figure it out." He exited the room without another word.

Zane's mood had taken a turn. He was in a pretty good mood before. Humming, cooking, he felt so upbeat. That stupid dream came up again and ruined it all. And he made it worse for himself by selfishly keeping it to himself. He didn't know what he was afraid of. That he'd be embarrassed?

Ha! Like he hadn't done that enough. Was it just because he felt lonely?

He did feel lonely. His father wasn't really around anymore, and he'd lost his falcon, as well as the opportunity to look for it. But neither his father nor his falcon was involved with the dream, nor the other way around.

And it couldn't be because he was afraid. The dream itself was terrifying, but he'd be less afraid knowing the ninja were helping him. He'd feel less lonely knowing it was shared with his brothers.

Maybe it was because he was afraid to hurt them? But it didn't make any sense. Again, he was the only person in his dream he knew. It didn't affect the other ninja at all. The dream itself sounded like a child's nightmare after a scary movie. But he was a nindroid. He couldn't have regular dreams… Could he? Every dream he'd had to this point had been important. It had shown something that was happening. Or something that had happened. Or something that they were working on at the time. What else was there? They showed things that were about to happened. Things almost like hints for coming events.

He dropped his spatula, surprising himself. He hadn't even thought about that! Was it something that was _going_ to happen? Hints? Clues? Warnings? In which case, the blurred figure in the scenes from his dream could have been any of them! It _could_ involve the others! The voice _could_ have been any of theirs! And even if his somehow thinking it was a girl's voice was right, that still could have been Nya or Misako! It very well could have been any of the Ninja's family members, too! They could be in danger! And the longer he kept it to himself, the more the threat grew!

He took a step backward and held his head, feeling suddenly very flustered. Why exactly it was that none of these things had occurred to him before was beyond him, but they did now, and he felt absolutely blown away. But not in a good way.

Zane swallowed and started breathing more heavily. The whole kitchen began to spin. He couldn't tell what was happening and his mind was clouded with confusion and consumed by a choking fear he didn't even know existed. Everything blurred and he suddenly wasn't even aware of what was going on around him. He could barely register the griddle in front of him, or the food on it, which was beginning to burn. He looked at the spatula at the floor, and couldn't remember how it got there. He looked back up to the counter, which had a plate on it, filled with strange looking slices of bread. He became very dizzy and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus.

He heard something in the background, and something grabbed his shoulders. He opened his eyes again, almost panicking, and saw someone standing in front of him. He couldn't even tell who it was, just the color red. He looked to his left and saw another figure and the color black. On his right, blue. He heard something behind him, too. He started to turn around but little spots began to cloud the corners of his vision. The whole kitchen began to tilt at an odd angle and the fuzzy spots consumed his vision. All he could hear were panicked shouts and a lot of yelling, but it all sounded garbled.

The last thing he saw before colliding with something cold and hard were four blurry figures above him.

* * *

 _Ow_. That was the first thing that registered.

Zane's eyes squeezed tightly as he began to regain his consciousness. He groaned and turned his head to the side before lifting a hand to his head to locate the source of the pain.

"Zane!" Someone said. It was so loud! It rang in his head painfully and he groaned again. He opened his eyes and blinked to adjust to the light.

"Are you okay?" The same voice said. He turned his head slowly to the sound and saw Nya standing in front of him. He blinked in surprise. Without answering, he turned his head once more, staring up at the ceiling. It was textured and white-washed. He quickly realized he was laying down on something soft. But also really... Firm. Kind of hard at the same time. He rubbed his thumb on it. It was rough. Good, okay. Well, at least, it was good if it actually was rough.

"Zane?" Nya repeated. Zane turned his head to her once more.

"You okay?"

"Yes." He said simply. He placed a hand at his side and started to push himself up. Nya didn't complain, but she stuck out a hand in case he needed steadying.

"What happened?" He asked. The last he could remember was realizing that his dream could actually involve the other ninja, and that he was cooking breakfast. After that, everything was a blur. And it made him uncomfortable when he tried to remember.

"We're not sure. Jay told me that they heard something clatter in the kitchen, so they went to check on you. He said that when they got there, you were hyperventilating. Panicking. From what else I was told, it sounds like you couldn't answer anybody properly, and then you just blacked out." Nya explained.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She added.

"I… Don't know." He answered honestly. He wasn't okay. Not really. But he was just so confused and unsure of his own feelings that he didn't know what to call 'not okay.' And that was it. Confused. He couldn't think of another way to describe it at the moment.

"Do you know what caused you to black out like that?" She asked. Despite the fact that she was younger than he and the rest of the ninja, Zane was certain that she was becoming very mature, to the point that she was sometimes seen as a figure to look up to rather than the other way around. In some ways, Zane saw her more like a mother or an older sister than a dear friend who was, in fact, younger than he was.

"I'm not certain. I may have… overloaded my systems. I have had a lot on my mind." He answered. He was trying to keep his answers as undisputed as he could. He didn't really feel like explaining his dream and his concerns for his friends at the moment. He planned to tell them sometime today, just not… Not now.

"Hmm. Okay, I guess. I can't think of anything else. If you've got a lot going through your head, I guess that…" She trailed off, unsure how to finish the thought. She paused for a moment, deciding to end it there. Then,

"Oh! Your head! That could be it! How many times have you hit it, again?"

Zane reached his hand up toward his head for probably the millionth time, remembering the now throbbing bruise there.

"Three. Unless I landed on it when I blacked out, too." He said. The very idea was ridiculous. His head had had enough attention over the last two days!

"No. Kai said that he and Cole had managed to catch you before that could happen. But aside from maybe being stressed, that head injury's all I can think of that might have caused you to black out. Hitting it that hard in the same spot, three times, tends to be enough." She said.

"Maybe I should check for a concussion. I know it's not as likely for you, but still." She stood up and gestured for him to sit up more fully. He did so, turning so that his feet were on the ground. Now that he was awake enough to think about where he was, he realized that he was on the couch in the spare room. Tables, bandages, icepacks, heatpacks, medications, and everything inbetween. He and Nya were the only people in there, and he had no idea how long he'd been out. Either way, the ninja were elsewhere.

"How long have I been passed out?" He asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Only a few hours. It's lunchtime now." Nya replied, beginning to unwrap the bandage on his head.

Inwardly, he sighed with relief. He was glad to know he hadn't had a major incidents. A few hours wasn't nothing to worry about, though.

As Nya worked on inspecting the bruise on his head, muttering a "hold still," every now and again, Zane's mind began to drift. He grew bored, he realized. That didn't usually happen, and especially with everything there was to think about. To occupy himself, he decided it best to try to sum up what had been happening the last two days. Yesterday morning (over a year ago for my most faithful readers), he had a nightmare. He woke up, and hit his head on the bunk. Kai greeted him, and he went to have breakfast. Cole made pancakes, which were much improved from the last time he'd made them. When Kai asked about his dream, he became distracted and didn't eat. He spent most the day looking for his falcon until everyone else left for family activities. That's when things began to turn. He tidied, baked pie, tidied again, looked for his falcon, read some books… Then when he ran out of things to do, he tried to lay out his dream on a piece of paper.

Zane lurched suddenly, sitting up to his full height. That paper! Shoot!  
"Zane! Goodness gracious, no wonder you keep hitting your head. What's up?" She sighed and shook her head amusedly.

"I just remembered something that I left on the…" He paused, having spoken without thinking.

"That piece of paper we found last night? I think Sense has it. And I promise we didn't read it, if that makes you feel any better." She said, giggling when Zane puffed a breath of relief.

"I apologize. I-I just kinda… It just occurred to me that I didn't put it away." Zane said, flustering himself.

Without warning, Nya burst into laughter and put a hand over her mouth.

"Did I say something strange?" Zane asked confusedly.

"You're just kinda cute when you get all flustered." She said. Zane, unsure how to react, turned his head back into place so she could continue, remaining silent. He wasn't used to such… compliments. He'd grown up to know the other ninja, not one of which was a girl.

The two continued this way for a few minutes, Nya gently picking through his hair to make sure there was no further damage than the bruise.

"I think that's it, Zane. It doesn't look serious, and I don't think it's really done much to affect you, in all honesty. Just try to get some rest tonight, okay?" Nya suggested, rewrapping his head.

Zane smiled and nodded. He stood up and walked towards the door. He was hoping tonight would be completely unlike last. He couldn't get a wink of sleep, and just when he was about to-

"Oh!" He stopped and turned around.

"Where is the girl from last night?" He asked, suddenly realizing that she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He awoke on the couch that he last saw her on, and she wasn't anywhere else in the room.

Nya made a face that said 'Oh!' and she turned to look at Zane.

"She woke up about a half hour ago. Garmadon and Misako have volunteered to watch after her while she eats lunch. Why don't you go meet her? Last I heard, the other ninja were getting along with her pretty well." Nya said, gesturing in the general direction of the dining room.

Zane seemed satisfied with her answer, and walked out into the hall, in the direction of the dining room and completely unknowing of what to expect. She must not have been a bad guy (gal?) if the other ninja were getting along with her. Then again, he may have been missing some form of sarcasm from Nya, but he wasn't going to find out either way if he didn't go to meet her.

Turning a corner, he decided he was going to take it easy for the rest of the day. They had gotten a good distance from the attack, and it had been a pretty wild couple of days. Today was a day to prepare, plan, and get up their energy. Especially considering what happened, it was probably a good idea to just let it be a restful day. Maybe this new girl would help with that, too. That, of course, depended entirely on what she would be like, though.

Zane opened the door to the deck of the bounty and stepped outside, getting a bit of a deja vu at the action. It was similar to how he started his morning yesterday, both inside and outside the dream. He walked out onto the deck and took a deep breath, reveling in the fresh scent and blue skies. There was still snow on the ground below them, where they had apparently landed while he was passed out.

Despite the fact that his falcon was probably in the Serpentine's grasp, Zane couldn't help but to scan the skies for his companion, somehow hoping to see it.

And, again like the morning before, there was a loud clatter of metal on wood behind him, leading to the kitchen. He turned around, this time not so startled, to find not Cole, but Jay.

"Aw, man! There goes a half dozen sandwiches!" He groaned, bending down onto his knees to help clean up the mess.

"Did you prepare lunch?" Zane asked curiously. The sandwiches now scattered on the ground looked to be simple balogna and cheese, and since he'd missed out on breakfast, they made his mouth water.

"Yeah… There's more sandwiches inside, but still! That's a lot of sandwiches!" He paused.

"I saw you standing out here, so I thought I'd bring one to you. I guess I didn't think to just take one instead of the whole tray." He said, then chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh. Thank you. I was about ready to come in though. I'd like to meet our visitor." Zane said, gathering the sandwiches onto one of the trays and standing up.

"Our visitor? Oh, you mean that girl! She's really nice." Jay said, standing up as well, two other, empty, trays in hand.

"That's good." Zane replied. The two walked into the kitchen, placing trays on the counter, and Zane throwing away the soiled sandwiches.

The stopped, standing still for an awkward moment, then turned for the dining room door.

"What's her name? Did she say?" Zane asked, suddenly curious.

"Oh… Yeah… Um, we don't know." Jay replied. Zane looked at him curiously.

"What do you mean? Did you not ask her?"

"Uh, well, no. We did ask her, but she's…" Jay stopped just before pushing the door open. He thought for a moment, the turned the handle decisively.

"She's mute."

* * *

Ahh, I do like those dramatic chapter endings, don't I? I always feel like they're not actually dramatic enough, or like they're dissatisfactory. I mean, of course they are, they're all cliffhangers, but I mean.. Like dissatisfying cliffhangers, like I cut someone off in the middle of the second to last sentence instead of at the end of the last sentence. For a cliffhanger. I dunno. That's probably just me. Also, I realized my chapters are actually getting longer, not shorter. That's good! It means I'm really starting to get more into my writing, and I'm very pleased! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! It's almost like starting the story again, and this is where the interesting part of my summary comes in. Once we have most everything in my summary resolved, that's when the _real_ real action starts. I have a couple of surprised I'd like to throw in, and they honestly might make themselves known early, seeing as how I write these as I go, instead of planning them. The whole Zane passing out thing wasn't part of my plan for this chapter, or the story at all, really. But it happened anyway. It makes things interesting, doesn't it? Look out for the next chapter, and tell me what you think!

-LizzyLucky


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! I applaud those of you who stayed long enough to actually read this far. I've got 6 chapter and two days of story. Lame. And I'm so mean to my characters. Ninjago's characters. My favorite characters, especially. I know, I don't get it either. Any time an idea pops into my head, I use it. And most the time, Zane is the focus of my cruel theories. Sorry, Zane… But I promise I won't kill him! At least not all the way… Anyway, I hope you can sympathize with me enough to stay until the end of the story. I've got a few surprises for you later in the story, but I don't seem to be able to get very much into a single chapter. I'm working on it, though. Here's chapter 7, and I hope you like it!

-LizzyLucky

* * *

"She's _mute?_ " Zane repeated, scratching his head and looking at the ninja next to him.

"Yeah." Jay responded, pushing the door open. He walked forward a few steps.

"Well, I mean, sort of." He said.

"What's 'sort of?'"

"She has a voice. She laughs and makes… noises. But she doesn't talk. I don't think it's that she can't, she's just… She doesn't." Jay tried to explain. He and Zane turned toward the table. Kai sat at the end nearest them. The seat across from him was empty. Presumably where Jay had been sitting. Next to Kai was Cole, and Misako across from him. Next to Cole sat Garmadon, another empty seat across from him. At the very end of the table sat the girl.

She had mid-length brown hair and vibrant green eyes. She had on a plain white t-shirt and some jeans. At the moment, she was listening intently to something Cole was saying, laughing every now and again.

As the door closed behind Zane and Jay, she turned her attention. For a moment, her eyes and Zane's met. Zane was immediately filled with a warm curiosity. He felt already so much like her being here was just… right.

He realized suddenly that he was staring directly at her and shook himself out of it. Jay laughed at Zane's stupid look and took his seat across from Kai. Zane felt almost surprised at himself and felt a strange rumble in his stomach. At this point, he wasn't sure if it was purely hunger anymore, either.

Apparently, the rumbling of his stomach had been louder than he thought, though. As if the situation didn't already feel awkward enough, Kai laughed and turned to Zane, gesturing behind him and to the empty seat next to their guest.

"You sound like you could use some lunch. There's an empty seat over by Misako." He said simply.

"Oh, right! I knew I was forgetting something!" Jay stood back up and ran to the kitchen, returning only seconds later with a plate, on which were two sandwiches. He offered it to Zane, who took it gratefully and walked over to the empty seat.

"I kinda forgot that you didn't eat breakfast." Jay commented, sitting back down.

"You wouldn't be the only one…" Zane replied, grinning awkwardly. Unbeknownst to him, the girl behind him was watching curiously. When he turned back to his plate to pick up a sandwich, he was surprised to see a pair of green eyes only inches from his face. Their owner was stood up, leaning over the edge of the table to study him more closely.

Zane leaned back in surprise, his own eyes widening with wonder. She was already such an interesting person.

"Uh, hi." He said, not knowing what else to do. She cocked her head at him, then smiled and sat back down contentedly. He blinked and shrugged it off, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Garmadon, across from him, chuckled.

"It would seem she's taken in interest in you, Zane.

"I hadn't noticed." Zane said, friendly sarcasm lacing the statement. The figure beside him giggled and took a hungry bite from her own sandwich.

Zane was only just now thinking about the fact that they had all welcomed her in so willingly. They were already treating her like a friend, rather than someone who came crashing through the window, injured.

Of course, he wasn't too surprised. From just the two minutes sitting next to her, he could tell she was just an absolutely bubbly person. Easy to be around. She was happy and energetic. Everything she did, she did with energy and a massive smile on her face. And if not a smile, she was very expressive about whatever she was feeling. Right down to the way she moved her eyebrows. They raised up noticeably when she was excited or surprised. They scrunched together when she was confused or curious. They curved upward when she was laughing, like she'd been laughing too hard or smiling too long, which she did a lot. Everything remotely amusing made her giggle, and everything that made her happy made her laugh. But it didn't seem to bother anyone. She just lightened the mood of the whole room. Despite the fact that she didn't talk, her voice could be heard above everyone else's.

And at that moment, he realized that he'd been laughing along with her. Everyone had been. He realized that everything negative he'd been feeling had completely left his mind since he entered the room. His nightmare, passing out, the injury on his head, the attack, even, that she originated. He'd been focusing solely on how delicious his sandwich tasted when he was hungry, and how interesting the new girl had been. That along with everything else that went through the conversations at the table. Stories, jokes, memories, and just… Laughter. Everyone was happy, and for the time being, all of their worries had melted away.

He didn't know how she was able to do what she was doing, but he did know that she was the most positive thing that had happened to them in a while.

And it was amazing.

"Hey, Zane! You haven't introduced yourself!" Kai called from the end of the table, interrupting his thoughts.

"Introduced- What?" Zane blinked. He hadn't even been paying attention.

"We told her our names, you tell her yours!" He said, clapping his hands together.

"Oh, I- Uh-" He hiccupped. A round of laughter echoed in the room, and Zane sat up in surprise. Hiccups? He hadn't had those in a while. Occasionally, he did have just one hiccup, though. Another silly thing that happened every other time he surprised himself.

"Just introduce yourself. Name and element. That's what we did." Cole said, shrugging and stuffing half a sandwich into his mouth.

Zane turned to the girl next to him, who had her head turned curiously. She sat upright expectantly.

 _Who are you…_ He blinked as he heard the phrase echo in his head. Where had that come from?

"Oh. Yes. Uh, I-I'm Zane. My element is ice." He said awkwardly. Did he really just stutter?

She giggled, pleased, and stuck out a hand, apparently for a handshake. Zane slowly stuck his own hand out, half expecting her to shake the whole table with whatever energy she put into it, but was somewhat surprised at her gentle touch and firm, but short, shake. She retracted her hand and went immediately back to eating contentedly.

Zane couldn't help but to watch her. She was so childlike. She held an air of innocence and joy. She seemed fascinated by everything around her, even ordinary objects.

Even after everyone had been properly filled, the chattering had gone on. They'd gotten caught up in telling stories, now both for the amusement of their guest and themselves. They reminisced, remembering back to the earliest adventures. How they met Sensei Wu, how they met each other, training with each other, testing and strengthening their friendships.

At the moment, they were caught up in the wild tale of how Lloyd had "grown up." After the earlier story of how Lord Garmadon had gotten their weapons and forged them to make the mega weapon, to which Garmadon chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, they'd gotten into the action of the day he brought the Grundle to life, basically programming it with ninja hunting instincts.

"And then even though I technically lost, the grundle showed up and we took the illumi-swords anyway!" Lloyd was lept up and throwing his arms through the air for exaggeration.

"It didn't really do us any good. Those things were freaking flimsy!" Cole commented.

"No kidding! And of course, like every comic book in that store, I'm sure, the situation got only as bad as it could have." Kai said, rolling his eyes.

"We had no weapons, no spinjitzu, no elemental powers, and we were KIDS, protecting a bunch of KIDS, not to mention the unstoppable ninja-hungry hunting Grundle and the fact that ALL THE EXITS WERE BLOCKED!" Jay exclaimed, banging on the table with every word he shouted.

"And _you_ were eating cotton candy." Cole laughed. Jay fauxed offence and pouted at him.

"And _who_ was it again that just _had_ to stop for cake on the way home afterwards and make us late? Oh, yeah, it was _you_!" Jay said innocently. Cole glared at him.

"Remember we took those ninja suits, too? That was hilarious! 'Authentic ninja suits signed by the ninja!' Pfft!" Kai remembered.

"I didn't even know those were there, much less that _we_ signed them!" Zane added with a laugh of his own.

"Anyway, we'd've been Grundle chow if Nya and Sensei didn't get our message and come to help. They were the ones to unblock the exit, _and_ they brought the solution to all our troubles in the form of _tea_!" Cole explained, moving the story back on track.

"I remember! The lady at the tea shop was so reluctant to hand it over to us, and we were getting worried." Nya said, looking upwards as she thought back to the day.

"Is that what took so long? Jeez." Kai said amusedly. Nya giggled.

"Well, it solved _almost_ all our problems." Lloyd said, referring to the tea.

"Oh, yeah, that's right! If we used tomorrow's tea, it would turn the grundle back to a pile of bones, and the rest of us would be returned to normal! Except Lloyd, who was already normal. You were still a kid." Kai said.

"I was gonna miss out on the rest of my childhood…" Lloyd said, almost sad.

Their guest had been sitting, listening contentedly the entire time, giggling every time they made a joke, or when one of them got all excited and jumped up. She gasped and widened her eyes every time they came to a part where the whole adventure seemed lost, or like they were in some kind of danger they couldn't get out of. Then she would pump a fist into the air and "Ha!" when they explained their solution to her. It was both amusing and joyful.

"True that. But you put your own needs down and used the tea anyway, to save the lives of your fellow ninja and the children in the shop." Garmadon said with an air of wisdom. Lloyd smiled at him.

"Anyway…" Jay said after a moment of silence.

"Actually, I don't think we need an 'anyway.' That was really about it. We were turned back to normal, cleaned up the store, and saved the day." Kai said, sounding distant.

"Something wrong, Kai?" Cole asked.

"I was just thinking is all." He replied.

"Perhaps it is time we take a break." Misako said. Everyone was happy and well fed, but they'd been sitting at that table for over two hours. They'd done more talking and story telling than eating.

Nods and hums of approval went around the table. Each took their turn standing up and walking away, silently.

Odd, Zane thought. The silence had come on quite suddenly. It wasn't exactly eery, nor was it a depressing kind of feeling, but it really came out of nowhere. It seemed likely to be a result of the day's busy events.

Before Zane stood up, he turned to glance at their guest, who had an almost unreadable expression. It somehow echoed the strange feeling that the sudden quiet brought on. Her eyes were wide with curiosity and wonder, but also with something else. Something about that other look in her eyes almost put out the glow that brought them to life. If he really tried, he thought he could see fear in them.

And for a moment, it entranced him. It was fear. Utterly paralyzing. She stared ahead of her, suddenly becoming an abandoned child, frightened alone. Even as Garmadon and Misako stood up, ushering her to do the same, she looked like she just felt alone.

Zane broke the gaze and looked down at his hands. Then back at the girl. Then back down to his hands.

He looked back up decisively. An idea had just occurred to him, and he wasn't sure if it was right. But if it was…

Well, either way… It was about time he went to talk with his brothers about that dream.

* * *

Ha! Yeah, I know. My chapters all kinda suck. I try to be a good writer, I stretch out scenes a bit, almost entirely unplanned, so they never quite make a full round. They're almost more drabble worthy than they are chapter worthy. Oh well. Hoped you liked it anyway. Thanks guys!

-LizzyLucky


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